Modernism permeates the updated 1950s house

Once a designer of stadium stages for the Rolling Stones, Rick Hopkins turned his talents to his Alta Vista home

The dining room features mid-century modern design and durable finishes.

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto
, The Ottawa Citizen

It seems a gargantuan leap: from a sweaty, high-decibel Rolling Stones concert to a cool and quiet 1950s ranchstyle bungalow in the leafy Ottawa General Hospital neighbourhood. But after thinking it over, homeowner Rick Hopkins decides the two things may be more similar than they appear.

An architect by training, he once helped design sets for massive rock 'n' roll shows, like the Stones' 1989 North American Steel Wheels tour. More recently, and consulting closely with his wife, Laura Hopkins, a cancer surgeon at the Ottawa General Hospital, he designed the interior renovation of their home, a multi-year project that's yielded splendid results.

"A concert set you design so that it can come apart and be put back together again rapidly," says Hopkins. "Houses, you want to think of as more permanent. But really, they're not; they're transient, they tend to evolve."

The current state of evolution at the Hopkins' home is basically updated 1950s modernism. Although the gardens and backyard have been extensively revamped with new plantings, a pool and other delights described in the accompanying story, the home's stone-and-wood exterior remains original.

The garage had a structural makeover, as well as the installation of wiring to power up an electric car - if and when the couple buys one.

Inside, it's cool and sleek with subtle surprises like the narrow inset channel where ceiling meets wall. Rick decided to add the detail when he lowered the existing ceilings, which was easier than removing the original stipple. "I like to add visual interest," he explains.

The living room, largely unchanged from the original construction and anchored by a wood-burning fireplace with a massive stone surround, is bright and uncluttered. A multi-panel bay window helps connect the interior and exterior. The refinished floor, as in much of the house, is gleaming birch, and walls are tan. The Hopkins had all the window trim removed to further simplify the esthetic and minimalist, custom-made baseboards installed.

Their preference for modern design is echoed in furnishings, like the Scandinavian postwar chairs by Poul Kjaerholm and the mid-1950s coffee table, also by Kjaerholm.

"I like simple things," says Laura when asked about modern design. "It's how things are at work: function dictates design in the operating room."

A longtime fan, Rick introduced her to modern furniture design.

Describing them as light, airy and honestly displaying their construction, he says, "Every time I did a (set design) job, I'd buy myself a chair as a reward. I bought Eames Management and Lounge chairs after I did Rush and (Rolling) Stones concerts."

Not that you should think of the Hopkins' home as a hushed museum to mid-20th century design. Their lively boys - Graeme, 6, and Liam, 3 - ensure that doesn't happen (Rick, who has also worked with commercial architecture firms, is currently a stay-at-home dad who clearly loves his job).

The modern theme continues in the dining room with its glass-and-steel Nomos table by Sir Norman Foster (the design has been compared to a lunar landing module) and Eames aluminum group chairs.

Rick says that before settling on the chairs' off-white fabric, the couple put a swatch to the test by dumping everything, including ketchup, on it. It got a thumb's up when it cleaned up beautifully.

Overhead, new pot lights - there are almost 80 throughout the house - are an unobtrusive source of light. The Hopkins had foam insulation blown in around them to seal out the home's last remaining drafts. They also upgraded the attic insulation and installed a new heating/cooling system, as well as costly new wiring and plumbing.

The kitchen, adjacent to the dining room and the first step in the $500,000 renovation, is an oasis of calm.

It features a slate floor, maple cabinetry with stainless-steel bar handles, and a dark speckled Corian countertop. A series of overhead halogen fixtures wash light over the cabinetry, picking up the grain in a soft glow. A quartz breakfast bar sits a smidgen higher than the countertop; Lem stools, height-adjustable and with leather swivel seats, are pulled up to the bar.

A panel system by the innovative kitchen outfitter, SieMatic (www.siematic.com), covers the walls. Pop out some of the panels' metal buttons and they can mount shelves anywhere they want, moving them as needs change.

The whole room, which still had the original plywood cabinetry when they bought the home, had to be redone to accommodate these innovations and the contemporary appliances, says Rick.

One can easily imagine cooking in this well-planned kitchen, where the backyard view and the uncluttered surfaces would calm even the most rattled chef.

There wasn't a lot of cooking going on in the early days of renovation.

That was in 2002, shortly after they bought the home. The couple was attracted by its proximity to Laura's work and because the custom home had "integrity; it wasn't a cookiecutter house," Rick says.

The lengthy renovation was trying.

"We were living in two bedrooms from January to July," says Laura. "One was our bedroom; the other was our living room. We had plastic bags with clothes and stuff hanging from the doorways. Lots of martinis were consumed."

A tour through the rest of the home proves their patience has paid off.

The iridescent green-andtan tiles in the main bathroom add a subtle glow, the maple cabinetry supplies richness, and the Flos mirror with its frosted surround is simple but elegant.

Walnut panels behind bookshelves lend a substantial feel to the library while a pair of posters from a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit at New York City's Museum of Modern Art speak to the Hopkins' taste in architecture.

Bedrooms are uncluttered, while the sprawling basement with its big-screen television is clearly a favourite family hangout and the boys' play area. Squeaks and Scruffy, a pair of gerbils, share the space with the humans.

Also in the basement is a fitness room and Rick's private music listening space. An audiophile of the serious kind, he has equipped it with top-end equipment, wooden wall resonators to balance the sound, and a floor-to-ceiling collection of vinyl, much of it jazz and some classical. To one side, a Gibson acoustic guitar rests on a stand.

Jazz and classical records for a guy who once helped design a set for a Van Halen tour?

Like the house and the concert sets, "they're the opposite ends of the spectrum," he says. "But yes, it's safe to say I'm a rock fan."

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